“Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;
Let the morning wait in vain for the light,
Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),

“They grope in darkness without light,
And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”

“The light will be dark in his tent,
And his lamp beside him will be put out.

“In the dark they dig into [the penetrable walls of] houses;
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light [of day].

“Behold, He spreads His lightning around Him [against the dark clouds],
And He covers the depths of the sea.

“Tell us [Job] what words [of man] shall we say to such a Being;
We cannot state our case because of darkness [that is, our ignorance in the presence of the unsearchable God].

“Who has put wisdom in the innermost being [of man, or in the layers of clouds]
Or given understanding to the mind [of man, or to the heavenly display]?

“The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
Nor [does] the spear, the dart, or the javelin.